Improvement in back-band hooks and buckles



S. WARD Improvement in Back-Band Hook and Buckles.v

N0. 131,139 Patented Sep. 3,1872

Witnesses Inventor. WWW/Mt .9; d d/20mg Attorneys.

PATENT QFFICE.

SETH WARD, OF PRINCETON, INDIANA.

IMPROVEMENT IN BACK-BAND HOOKS AND BUCKLES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 131,139, dated September 3, 1872.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SETH WARD, of Princeton, in the county of Gibson and in the State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Back-Band Hook and Buckle; and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification.

The nature of my invention consists in the construction and arrangement of a combined back-band hook and buckle, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to make and use the same I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation, referring to the annexed drawing, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of my backband hook and buckle; and Fig. 2 is a section of the same.

A represents the hook made substantially in the form shown, and its inner end pivoted between the turnedup ends of a bar, B. a a are teeth formed along the inner end of the hook in rear of the pivot; and l) is a ridge formed in front of the pivot, as shown in Fig. 2.

It is no difficult matter to construct a buckle with a hook attached so that the hook may be adjusted up or down 5 but the ordinary buckle would be cumbersome in combination with a hook, and would be heavy and expensive and could not be made to work smoothly against the horses side. But in my improvement I claim to have succeeded in producing a combination buckle-hook that is clear of all these objections. It is light and simple in its construction; easily and quickly adjusted up or down on the back-band.

The principle of the buckle is this: When the buckle is closed down on the web the teeth a a are thrown back of the center of the pivots, and while the teeth press the web against the plate or bar B, back of the center or pivot, the hookAis so formed that pressureis brought down in front of the center or pivots, so that the harder the hook is pulled so as to bring strain on the teeth of the buckle the more pressure is brought down on the under plate by the hook pressing on the web in front of the center, relieving to some extent the strain on the teeth of the buckle.

Another important end is accomplished by the hook being made of this particular form, which is, that when the teeth a a of the buckle are thrown back of the center the peculiar crook (ridge b) of the hook pressing down in front of the pivots, the hook is held firmly to its proper place, and will not come unbuckled by ordinary use.

The ridge 1) which makes this pressure in front of the center or pivots, is about the same distance from the center or pivots as the teeth a a, and it serves a very important part in the principle of the buckle; and it is necessary that it should be so made as to stop the buckle just at the proper point, for if it should stop it before the teeth are thrown back of the center, there would be danger of coming unbuckled while in use and if this ridge or stop I) were left entirely off the buckle might close down too far, so that the teeth would pass too far back and have no pressure on the web and would consequently slip off. This buckle can be adjusted either up or down in a very short space of time.

The principle of this buckle may be applied to leather as well as web; but when applied to leather the buckle should be made with a tongue instead of teeth, and the strap should be punched with holes the same as for the old style of buckles and when the strap is very wide, requiring a very wide buckle, it would perhaps be well to have the buckles made with two or more tongues according to the width required. "When so constructed it may be used on various other parts of harness as well as on back-bands. The hook A is intended to hook into the trace-chain on the under side, and should rise from the ridge or stop I) sufficient to make room for the link of a traceehain, then run parallel with the strap or web for a short distance, and then turn under, bringing the point of the hook in a plane or line with the stop and teeth of the buckle. This is done in order that the point of the hook may not press-too hard on the animals sides while being used.

Having thus fully described my invention, In testimony that I claim the foregoing I what I claim as new, and desire to secure by have hereunto set my hand this 16th day of Letters Patent, is- July, 1872. r

The hook A pivoted to the plate B and pro- SETH WARD. vided. with teeth a a, or one or more tongues, in rear, and a ridge or stop, I), in front of the Witnesses: center or pivots, substantially as and for the J AS. GORMAN, purposes herein set forth. WM. H. TRIPPET. 

